


Pariah

by starrylitme



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Angst, Bloodlust, Complicated Relationships, Human/Vampire Relationship, M/M, Persona 5: The Royal Spoilers, Slice of Life, Unresolved Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:41:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23299504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starrylitme/pseuds/starrylitme
Summary: He really needs to keep an eye on that detective, especially when it seems Akechi knows more than he lets on.
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Amamiya Ren, Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 16
Kudos: 211





	1. Pariah

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ProfessionalCatFan (idemandahug)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/idemandahug/gifts).

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You haven’t got a complex, do you? I’d rather you just stick to admiring me from afar.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short AU with Vampire!Akira for friendly friend. For background information I didn't bother to include in the fic but will here if you're curious: he was turned a while back but keeps it secret for obvious reasons. That said he's relatively accustomed to living as one. The assault charge still happened, though. Thankfully he wasn't revealed to be a vampire so it's still pretty unknown to everyone except his doctors.
> 
> Metaverse stuff...could still be going on, I guess. Yeah.
> 
> Anyway, Akechi totally wants to be bitten. Because ofc he does.

The detective is staying out late again. He’s flipping through a puzzle book, sighing and rhythmically tapping his pen against the page. He’s struggling with a crossword. The worst part is that his hair is tied back, exposing that bit of nape.

“Do you think you could do better, Kurusu-kun?” Akechi asks him with that ever pleasant smile. “You seems to be judging me quite intensely. Why not intervene? It’d be a welcome change of pace, I assure you.”

“Mm.” Akira runs his tongue over his throbbing fangs, pushing up his glasses as they did. Although he was pretty sure the detective prince would see straight through it. As long as Akechi kept his suspicions realistic, he should have nothing to worry about, but...

Akechi kept on smiling, and Akira couldn’t help but think notice the sharpness of that auburn gaze. Daring, almost. Like he really did expect Akira to maul him in a moment’s notice.

_He’s pretty dangerous for a human. But, he still has his weaknesses._

“It’s because I was stunned by your good looks,” Akira stated matter-of-factly. “The way you study and suck at crossword puzzles is in fact—very sexy.”

Akechi laughs ever lightly.

“Goodness. How forward. But if you harass me too much, I’ll have you arrested.”

“Please don’t,” Akira droned. “My social standing is dire enough. Have mercy, great Ace Prince Detective.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere,” Akechi hummed. “But, I am getting a bit audacious. It’s pretty late, isn’t it? Don’t you need to close up soon?”

“Nah. I can wait.” Akira focused on once again wiping the table. He could only hope the stench of cleaning chemicals would keep him from salivating. “I’m much more comfortable at night anyway.”

Akechi pushed back some strands of warm brown and tucked them beneath his ear. Akira tried not to stare at the hint of his throat peeking out from beneath a high collar. He especially tried not to think about raking his fingers down and undoing that collar so that he could get a more proper look at the juncture between Akechi Goro’s neck and shoulder.

“This place does have a comfortable atmosphere,” Akechi went on to say, like there really wasn’t a monster before him. “It’s nice, isn’t it? I feel like I can relax here better than anywhere else.”

“Oh, really?” Akira asked. “You’re not worried at all?”

“About what? Imposing?” Akechi asked. “You already said it was fine, Kurusu-kun. You’re not the kind of person who grits their teeth through every interaction, are you?”

_I do grit my teeth. But not for the reason you’re implying._

Or hell, maybe he was. Akira doubted that Akechi didn’t suspect something off about him. Maybe Akechi was here so often because he was expecting him to be a secret serial killer or something. An actual criminal that he could actually do something about. Maybe Akechi thrived on an undercurrent of danger.

Or maybe Akechi was just bored. That guy really was so unreadable at times no matter how many glances Akira stole. No matter how hard he strained his ears to listen to Akechi’s sometimes erratic heartbeat. He could tell that Akechi wasn’t as calm and level-headed as he made himself out to be, but that didn’t mean he knew the extent of it.

“What are you having trouble with?” Akira went out and asked, coming close so that he could get a better look at the crossword. Akechi is still tapping away with his pen, but Akira does note the slightest twitch at the corner of his smile.

Akira doesn’t remark on that, instead reading over the description of the word Akechi was fixated on.

“To lessen or try to lessen the extent of?”

“I was thinking placate, but that’s not it,” Akechi said. “It’s definitely a word that isn’t used very often, if at all outside of academia.”

Akira nodded along while being of no real help at all.

“A lot of these words seem—pretentious and uncommon,” he said. “Don’t you get enough of that kind of language when working with the law?”

Akechi laughed. Actually laughed.

“You would think! But I guess I just can’t resist a challenge.”

Akira’s face felt hot. His mouth felt try. He kept his lips pressed tightly together.

“Oh, here’s one word I knew,” Akechi went on. “Pariah. A person who is rejected by society and home. Of course, much like deviant, that could mean anything. People are rejected and degraded for all kinds of reasons. Some are justified, such as those who pose a danger to others, but there are those who are rejected for trivialities that they can’t control. I’m sure you’re aware of this, however.”

“I...” Akira couldn’t open his mouth too much, lest Akechi see his fangs with those sharp auburn eyes. “Yes. I am. But you should also take into account...corruption. Of both society and especially its law bearers.”

“Of course,” Akechi agreed. “People are quite fallible and susceptible to such things.” Akechi’s expression was remarkably sympathetic. “It can be quite troublesome. And there is not much the individual can do. A broken system is broken in many ways. Just identifying the problems can be tedious and complicated.”

Akira nods along again, although his lips curl in the slightest bit of a sneer. To Akechi’s credit, he didn’t remark on it. Akechi Goro, celebrity detective, only seemed—tired. His pen hand been placed on the table, and he sighed.

“It’s difficult. And discouraging. And I think I’ve taken up a bit too much of your time, Kurusu-kun.”

He shuts the book, but before he can get up to leave, Akira finds himself gripping the other’s hand.

“If you ever want to vent,” he said, shrugging. “I’m here to listen.”

Akechi’s smile is sweet, but placating.

“Your hand’s so cold, Kurusu-kun,” he said. “But you have a warm personality. Ironic, isn’t it?”

Akira squeezed his hand and just shrugged again.

“I guess,” he said, avoiding that stare. “But, when you make a face like that—I feel wrong just letting it be.”

“Hm.” Akechi snorted, perhaps unimpressed. “You haven’t got a complex, do you? I’d rather you just stick to admiring me from afar.”

_It would probably be easier if I did. This is—dangerous._

It would be so easy to yank Akechi towards him and bury his fangs into the other’s neck. He doesn’t want that—but he doesn’t really want to let go of Akechi’s gloved hand, either. Despite the layer in-between, he could tell that Akechi’s hand was thrumming with such warmth, with such a sweet pulse in his wrist. He wants to trace those thin veins with his thumb and teeth.

Instead, he gets Akechi’s other hand pressing against his face, his thumb digging into the hard edge of his mouth. Right against his teeth.

“A-Ah—”

He can’t even get Akechi’s name out when Akechi is staring him down so coldly. Even with his thumb pressed against a fang, Akechi’s expression is smoothed over. Almost pensive. Then, his eyebrows furrow, as if Akira is a puzzle he has yet to solve. Akira has half a mind to bite him, but instead, his gaze just flickers down in shame.

“Are you going to arrest me, detective?”

“For what?” Akechi pulls back, and his eyebrow is arched. “For existing as you are? That’s not a crime, Kurusu-kun. Now, if you’ve actually been attacking people, that’s another story...”

“I haven’t been,” Akira muttered lowly. “I haven’t even... I can survive without it. I just...have difficulty sometimes.”

Akechi nods, expression still impassive.

“How difficult it must be. But, it’s okay. Your secret’s safe with me.” That gentle smile was back as if it had never left. “Don’t cause trouble, alright? I’d hate to take you down.”

_The real danger here is you. What gave you the right to be as attractive as you are clever? If you keep that up—I really will have to eat you._

“It’s getting late,” Akechi then went on, checking his phone. “I don’t want to miss the train, so I’ll be on my way. Take care, Kurusu-kun.”

“Take care,” he retorted, rubbing at his mouth. “You also need to be careful. I could have bitten you.”

“You have that little self-control?” Akechi asked cheerfully. “How concerning. Maybe you’re lacking in iron.”

_Urgh, I can only get so many blood bags from the clinic for my services. Don’t mock me, Akechi Goro._

“What about you?” Akira ended up asking back. “If you’re really fine with hanging out with a vampire—you must be some kind of deviant yourself.”

Akechi’s smile remains but there’s a peculiar glimmer in his gaze.

“Have a nice night, Kurusu-kun. I’ll be seeing you.”

Akechi’s hand claps on top of his shoulder, friendly and amicable before going on his way with one last wave. Even with him turned away, Akira gives a wave in return.

_For a human, Goro Akechi is—quite complicated. There must be a lot lurking under that smile of his. That said, even if he’s dangerous... I have to keep an eye on him. Not just because he’s attractive, but..._

After the door shut, Akira coughed into his hand, rubbing more fiercely at his teeth and trying not to dwell on how close the other had been.

_I don’t think I want to be surprised like that again._


	2. Palliate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I would have been fine just admiring from afar,” he finds himself saying. “But then you had to go and get yourself killed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always wanted to write a continuation where Akechi actually got bit and before I knew it, 2/2 was coming up. So, I thought it would be cute to work with that.
> 
> Yeah.
> 
> This got a bit messy.

“It’s not a problem, right?” At one point, Akechi had asked that with a perfect and plastic smile. Head tilted, eyes crinkled, a smile emphasized with only soft curves. Not a flash of teeth—until now. “ _Right_ , Kurusu?”

The raw Akechi Goro was still such a sight to behold. He wondered if he ever doubted that for a moment. He supposed he should at least be glad for the scarf wrapped tightly around the neck. Somehow, his teeth still ached.

The words before had been like poison.

_“Can you stay a bit?”_

He knew from the second he asked that he made a mistake. And Akechi’s reaction—

The Detective Prince was perfect and plastic. Always offering a smile. Always assuming an act of innocence even when tucking his hair back to expose his throat. The image of charm, graceful on the line between friendly and intimate. It had only been those eyes that indicated his danger. A soft and sweet front—but there was no hiding that sharp and intelligent stare.

A stare which is now just a glare, lips pulled into a sneer.

“This sentimentality isn’t going to cause problems, right?” Any sweetness that could be gleaned was dripping with sarcasm. Ah, has Akechi always had sharp canines? Maybe that was just projection. “I _can_ trust you to cooperate, yes?”

And, then.

“It’s not a problem, right? _Right_ , Kurusu?”

_Of course it’s a problem,_ he wants to scream. _It’s been a problem since the day you shook my hand._

_It’s been a **problem** since the day you came back with a godforsaken cocky fucking smirk._

**_I’ve been stuck on you like a parasite from the start._ **

“You didn’t answer the question,” is what he says instead.

“It’s a stupid question,” is Akechi’s blunt response. “What do you expect to get from continuing this?”

“I...” _You speak so detachedly._ “It’s the last chance I’ll get to taste you.”

With just the right stare of his own, Akechi stills. It’s not like a deer in headlights, not yet, but Akechi does stiffen when Akira strides towards him.

“You knew,” he said. “From the start. And you were curious. You always pressed so close, acting so innocent. If we were both normal humans, that’d be one thing. Maybe I could brush it aside.”

“Even if you were a human, you wouldn’t be normal,” Akechi said, clipped. “But, you’re not much of a vampire, either, are you?”

He’s not. But he can still practically taste the memory of Akechi’s thumb pressed against his fangs. Akechi’s grabby little hands. On his teeth, on his back, on his shoulder. Akechi, who knew and still acted like _that_.

Akira grips the damn scarf. Akechi doesn’t stop him, but he doesn’t rip it away. The fabric gives under his grip, but he doubts Akechi will care about a few extra wrinkles in the folds.

“You’ve never even _bitten_ a human before,” Akechi said next, and those sharp blood-red eyes bore into him. Reflected back is an unwavering shadow. “I didn’t need to confirm it, although the lack of bite marks on any of your merry gang of thieves did strengthen my conviction. They always showed their wrists and necks without a hint of restraint—how comfortable they _were_ around you.” Akechi’s long lashes lower, and there’s still no falter. “You look at me differently. Full of surprises, aren’t you.”

His thumb hooks into the scarf.

“Let’s not talk about that.”

With that, he pulls, pulls, pulls—

* * *

Until Akechi is standing in the attic, staring him down. The scarf has unraveled a little, but the fabric sticks to his throat like a flimsy shield. He has thin bedsheets that would provide more of a defense.

**_Haah._ **

“I would have been fine just admiring from afar,” he finds himself saying. “But then you had to go and get yourself _killed_.”

“And now I’m back,” Akechi says, too unimpressed to muster up a smile, no matter how sardonic. “Don’t you feel indulged?”

_This is only the start of that._

He leads Akechi to the bed, seating him, keeping him upright. Tugging at that scarf until, _finally_ , Akechi’s pale neck was exposed.

_At the laundromat, I wanted nothing more than to pull you close and sink my teeth in. Just to see if you were really alive, I thought to myself, because I couldn’t believe my ears which picked up not only your voice but your heartbeat._

And what a frantic heartbeat it had been! Even now, it’s beating fast in spite of Akechi Goro’s stoicism.

_When fighting you, your heart raced so much that I worried it would come beating out of your chest._

Akechi sighed, tilting his head. His eyes closed, and resignation washes over his features.

His heart is still so agitated.

So much so that Akechi does **flinch** when a hand comes around the side of his neck.

_It’s human to fear death,_ Akira thought. With his other hand, he plucked off his glasses to set them aside.

“I did find it strange,” Akechi commented suddenly. “Did Maruki not know about your condition?”

“It’s not something I go around telling people.” _Not a very good attempt at lightening up the mood. Come on, Akechi, you’re better than this._ “Very few people figure it out on their own, too.”

Akechi’s lips pull into the straight, thin line.

On impulse, Akira leans in close to kiss the corner of them. That gets Akechi to jump.

“What,” he growls. “The _hell_ —”

Akechi freezes completely when a fang nicks his jaw. Locked in place. Just like that. His heart pounds against his ribcage, not calming even as Akira rubs his sternum with his thumb.

“Afraid?” he asks. Even if he meant to be teasing, his breath comes out in a chill against the other’s ear. “I don’t want to hurt you. Even if I should.”

_Traitor. Killer. Tease. You’re as dangerous to others as you are to yourself._

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he repeats. “Which makes desiring you a bit of a problem.”

Akechi does blink.

“ _Goro_ ,” Akira sighs against him, and the spell is broken.

Akechi’s gloved fingers weave through his hair and yank without mercy. And Akechi is the one to bite him hard on the neck, hard enough to draw blood.

“ _Ah_ ,” Akira mumbles blandly.

_His teeth are sorta sharp._

And they dig in so fiercely, too. Grinding in frustration.

**_How human._ **

“Oh, Goro,” he murmurs, holding him close, pressing him closer. He feels the tension in Akechi Goro’s shoulders get tighter, precarious like a rubber band holding the blades together. “Please, please stay with me.”

Akechi bites down harder than before. When he pulls back with that defiant glare, his lips are speckled with the same shade of crimson as his eyes. The wound stings, blood beading along the surface. Wiping that away with his thumb, he smears it against Akechi’s mouth. Strokes his puffy lower lip, and kisses him.

Gently. Mouth closed, even when Akechi nips at him.

“You _spineless_ piece of shit,” Akechi breathed harshly, huffing. “What the actual fuck are you _doing_?” His fists ball up in his coat. “Are you going to bite me or what?!”

He pulls at Akira’s hair, his stare narrowed.

“Well?”

Akira runs his fingers through the other’s hair in return. The soft caramel strands don’t even get tangled. Akechi is still so particular about his appearance regardless of the world’s state. Akira thinks about pulling, but he can’t bring himself to do it.

“Well?” Akechi repeats, hissing. “What are you **_doing_** , Kurusu?”

“How did my blood taste?” he finds himself asking.

“It tasted like shit! What’s your point?!”

_Shit, huh? Yeah. Vampire blood isn’t appetizing at all. Appetizing—_

Then, something happened.

Akechi bit his own lower lip. Like before, he bit down hard. Hard enough to draw blood, which dribbles down his chin. Immediately, Akira leans in to catch it on his tongue.

**_Fuck._ **

He laps it up and tastes Akechi’s vicious smirk with it.

“Goro, you...” Cutting himself off so that his lips can close around that hole in Akechi’s lip. Akechi shudders against him, but he’s still grinning wildly, amused to the point of a soft puff of laugh scraping its way out between his teeth. “God.” Akira wanted to laugh, too. “I hate you.”

“Kurusu—”

Akira nuzzles into his neck and doesn’t wait another second before sinking in his teeth.

“Kurusu,” Akechi pleads, voice strangled. “Kurusu...”

His pulse is fluttering like a trapped bird. Fitting, isn’t it? For all that aggression, Akechi Goro is still vulnerable like any other human, like any other living creature at another’s mercy. And he tastes so great, warm with a hint of spice.

_“Don’t you feel indulged?”_ Akechi had asked then, and he only whines now. He really had no idea—did he even imagine? “A... Akira...”

Warm and _alive_ —there wasn’t a doubt about it, especially with the way Akechi squirmed when a hand slipped under his coat—

“Enough,” Akechi gasped out. “T-That’s _enough_ , Akira.”

* * *

He applies a bandage to the bitemark but tells Akechi that it shouldn’t take long to heal.

“It’s not a replacement for proper treatment, but my saliva does have healing qualities,” he says, handing Akechi an opened water bottle. “Don’t move around too much...”

“I know the standard procedure for dealing with blood loss,” Akechi snapped. He takes a swing before Akira can stop him. Even if he chokes a little and swallows it down wrong, there’s not much to do besides let him be.

Akechi’s glove has been rolled up a little. Akira’s fingers twitch when he notices.

“With that, all is settled?” Akechi asks, lips wet with his grip on the bottle tilted. “Are you satisfied?”

Fuck it. Just what does this guy _expect_ when he asks?

“We’re not taking the offer,” he says as he takes that hand with the unruly glove. Rather than smoothing it down, he traces the vein of his wrist. Once, twice, each stroke harder against the skin. Until he leans down and kisses that pulse. The flutter is enough to make his lips tingle. “That should be enough.”

“You’re not the type to go behind someone’s back, for better and worse,” Akechi sighed, and he turns away rather than pulling his hand back. “I can trust you. Don’t disappoint me.”

Akira’s grip on his hand tightened. He thinks of biting both of Akechi’s wrists, to let blood drip from them like severed puppet strings.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

Akechi didn’t look at him. He refused, only giving a polite nod.


End file.
